Between 1852 and 1934, a ring railway connected Paris's main stations along a loop nearly 32 kilometers long. Abandoned by passenger traffic and largely left to decay, the line has gradually been reclaimed by the City of Paris since the 2000s: embankments turned into promenades, rails folded into gardens, former stations turned into community spaces. The publicly accessible network keeps growing section by section, though it never forms one continuous route from end to end.
The southern and eastern sections
The 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th arrondissements are home to some of the earliest-opened sections, landscaped as nature walks: dry meadows, shared gardens and wood-chip paths that sometimes run alongside rails still visible in the ground.
Bois de Charonne, in the 20th
This more recent section, connected to the Gare-de-Charonne garden, forms one of the largest open green spaces on the Petite Ceinture, spanning 3.5 hectares. Entrances include rue de la Mare and rue de Ménilmontant.
La REcyclerie, in the 18th
Housed in the former Ornano station, this community café and cultural space gives direct access to a stretch of the line, complete with a vegetable garden, free-roaming chickens and a regular events program. It's one of the best-known and easiest-to-find entry points on the network.
Les Jardins du Ruisseau, also in the 18th
A shared garden built right on the old rails, where volunteers and local residents tend vegetable plots and relaxation areas in the heart of the old railway corridor.
An ever-expanding network
New sections open regularly: a new segment in the 19th arrondissement, for instance, opened in spring 2026. The publicly accessible network grows year by year, though no section yet connects the entire historic route.
The sections that remain closed
Part of the Petite Ceinture is still off-limits, notably between rue Petit and the Manin tunnel in the 19th arrondissement, for safety reasons or because the area hasn't been developed yet. Venturing beyond the officially open sections remains both forbidden and genuinely dangerous.
Tips
Hours broadly follow those of Paris's parks and gardens, with variations by section: some close at nightfall, others keep fixed hours year-round. Dogs are generally not allowed, even on a leash. Check the City of Paris's interactive map or the Petite Ceinture walkers' association website before heading out, as the list of open sections changes regularly. Since no section links the whole route together, it's better to pick one or two arrondissements for a walk than to hope to follow the ring from end to end. The 12th-13th area and the 18th arrondissement (La REcyclerie and Les Jardins du Ruisseau) each make for a coherent hour-long walk, reachable by metro from central Paris.
